7
Troubleshooting
General System Troubleshooting
82
Accela Pump Hardware Manual
Thermo Scientific
General System Troubleshooting
The following are common problems that occur with a liquid chromatography system.
Y
No flow
1. Check mobile phase connections.
2. Check for leaks.
3. See problem 8 on
page 85
.
Y
High backpressure
1. Check the flow rate and system/column specifications.
2. Check for tubing or column blockage.
3. Check for blockage in the injection valve.
4. See
“Pump Troubleshooting Guide”
on
page 84
.
Y
Unstable baseline or drift
1. System column is not equilibrated; allow more equilibration time.
2. Refer to the troubleshooting guide for your detector.
3. See problem 7 on
page 85
.
Y
Baseline noise
1. Check for air bubbles in the system.
2. Check for system solvent contamination.
3. The pulse dampener is contaminated; prime the pulse dampener.
Y
No peaks
1. Check the detector and data system connections.
2. Refer to the troubleshooting guide for your autosampler.
3. Check sample retention with chromatographic conditions.
4. See problem 8 on
page 85
.
Y
Contaminating/ghost peaks
1. Clean the system and the column.
2. Refer to the troubleshooting guide for your autosampler.
